Rising Chaos
by Cloudfire Of SunClan
Summary: Set five years after Prophecy of the Elementals. Cloudfire is still dealing with the aftereffects of getting hit with Pitch's shadow arrow, which gave her new powers, and her memories back. On the down side, no one trusts her, and there's fires and Nightmares everywhere. Will Cloudfire be able to convince the Guardians that she's on their side? Part 2 of ?. T for mentions of abuse.
1. Chapter 1

**_Prologue_**

**_(No one's POV)_**

**_5 years after Prophecy of the Elementals_**

North, Tooth, Bunny, Jack, Pitch, Cinderrose, and Lunasong have all given up on seeing Cloudfire again. Even if they haven't entirely, from what Jack's said, she's nowhere close to the same. The last thing they heard from her was when she got into the Pole and left a note. It said five simple words: "NEVER LOSE WHAT YOU PROTECT."

Most of the Guardians had completely given up on her after that. Only Riverlily still believes in her old friend. Not one of them knows the truth.

The truth is that when Cloudfire was hit by the Shadow Pitch's fear arrow, she gained new abilities, certain things about her appearance changed, and she got her memories back. Other than that, she was, is still the same girl. She refused to have any sort of contact, due to the fact that she believes that if they're truly her friends, they'll trust her.

Guardians

North-Wonder

Bunny-Hope

Jack-Fun

Tooth-Memories

Sandy-Dreams

Cinderrose-Loyalty

Lunasong-Imagination

Riverlily-Trust

Pitch- just kinda hangs out around the Pole, not a Guardian

Wolves- all went into a coma after Cloudfire left, and will stay there until the elementals learn to work together.

Random slight change in outfit-Cloud now has rainbow glove-like things on, hiding a scar in the shape of an 'x' on her left wrist and wearing the right one so it doesn't look strange.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Ch. 1 Musicians' Mansion_**

Five years ago, I got shadow powers. Five years ago, I learned who I was. I found my family. Skylar is 11 now, she was 5 when I died, (time-traveling is beyond confusing) and it's been 6 years since I found her. Jamie is about 11, and Jack still drops by to say hi to his first believer.

Since then, I've helped Sandy each and every night, though he doesn't understand what I'm doing. I fly after him, calling Nightmares to me for him to turn back into dreams. He sees it as a nightly attack, even though the Nightmares never fight, just sort of hover. I haven't communicated with the Guardians at all, and they've made no honest move to communicate with me.

Today, I'm flying cross-country. I truly have nothing to do during the daytime, so I just hang out. Today, however, is different. I fly over Pennsylvania, noticing that there's a large mansion that's covered in music notes. Okay, I flew this exact same way yesterday, and it wasn't here, so what in StarClan's name is going on?

I fly down, looking in on the chaos inside. I was a musician in my past life, so the scene inside is actually painful for me. There are music spirits, and they're not doing anything musical, they're just arguing. I was in charge of a band; this isn't how it's done. I dart in the window, catching the spirits off guard.

"What's the problem here?" I ask, my tone annoyed. "It sounds like you're smashing your instruments against a wall." The one girl looks up. I instantly recognize her. She was the lead guitarist in the band! I glance around at the other spirits, calling names as I recognize them.

"Sarrah, River, Flower, Daisy, Leila, Bre, Tammy, Sam, Scot, Cal, Jerry, Tyler!" They glance at me in confusion, and I realize that the shadows are throwing them off. I quickly focus, pulling the shadows mostly to my left hand and the fire to my right. Sarrah recognizes me first.

"STEPH! OH GREAT STARCLAN, YOU'RE HERE!" She put her guitar down and quickly pulled me into a band hug. I laugh, catching up on stories quickly. Turns out, after I died, they all went on tour. A tractor trailer smashed headlong into the bus, and well, now they're the spirits of music and dance.

It is organized into categories, most of which seemed all over the place, but I understand fairly easily. There are different types of music, a different group of instruments for each one. There's praise music, church stuff, marching band, rock 'n roll, and any other kind of music you can think of.

Suddenly, a moonbeam flashes through the ceiling. I didn't realize it was that late, I promised Skylar I'd be back. I make a move to leave, but MiM's voice rings out.

"**_They need a lead singer, Cloudfire, you can lead them. You understand how they need to work together. Do you accept?"_**

I glance around at the other band members.

"Will you guys work with me when I mess up, because that's going to happen a lot."

Sarrah glanced around. Nods everywhere.

"Of course we will, you're our lead singer. That doesn't mean we won't give you a piece of our minds now and then, but…" I can't help but laugh. 560 some years without memories don't make friends any less amusing. I grin.

"I'll do it."

**_"You'll need this."_**

I look down at where the moonbeam settles on the floor, and there's a necklace there. It's like a locket, hollow on the inside, and there are different musical charms in it. I pull out the microphone, and golden sparks flicker from it as it becomes life-sized.

"Sweet. Thanks." I manage to stammer. I glance around and quickly organize how to rehearse everything in my head. Sarrah quickly holds up her own locket, pulls a charm out, and hands it to me.

"If you're still the nut you were when you were alive, you'll need this." I quickly expand it into a map of the mansion. I grin over at Sarrah.

"Yeah, I'll most definitely need that. Thanks." Then I raised my voice slightly so everyone could hear me. "We'll start rehearsals tomorrow, the schedule is posted around, and you shouldn't be able to miss it, seeing how it's made out of flames. I'll be back in the morning, please don't kill each other." The last part I meant as a joke, but some of the other kids groan in annoyance.

I fly off to Skylar's and tell her about my day. She knew my friends, so she's only too glad that they're with me to keep my company.

When she falls asleep, I go and help Sandy. As I call the Nightmares, a single thought crosses my mind. _This day couldn't get any better._


	3. Chapter 3

**_Ch. 2 Rehearsals and Living Nightmare_**

The next day, we started rehearsing. Everyone is just as good, if not better than they were when I last remember them, so for the most part, it's easy. If anyone has any questions, they don't hesitate to ask, and we all seem to work well together. There's two spirits for each instrument and kind of dance, one boy and one girl, but everyone gets along. The male lead singer, Tyler, is new from after my time, but he's nice and has no problems with taking orders.

I usually try not to snap orders out at them, but sometimes they get on my nerves. I usually don't carry temper problems from one rehearsal to another, but when you see the same people all day, it's fairly difficult.

In the dancing section, I have plenty of problems. I have 7 left feet if you catch my drift. In other words? It would be nicer to watch, well, Bunny trying to waltz. The one boy, Matt, who wasn't in the original band, groans when I mention that.

"Tell me about it. I'd rather visit the old Pitch with no weapons and go to sleep!" I grin.

"Nowadays, Pitch would just look at you funny. Not that I can blame him, you're pretty funny-lookin'…" Matt just smirks.

"Can we get back to rehearsal please?" I nod, trying to do the Jitterbug dance from the Wizard of Oz is no picnic, let me tell you.

Later that night, I drop by Skylar's house. She instantly opens the window, pulling me into a tight hug in a second. I hug her back, grinning as I tell her about the Musicians' Mansion. She laughs, and looks a little relieved.

"What's up with the relief? Worried I wasn't coming?" I tease playfully. Her response, though, surprises me.

"No, I'm just glad you have some of your old friends around. Don't bother lying; I know the Guardians don't pay attention to you anymore." I'm too stunned to answer for a while, and eventually Skylar just lies down.

"Will you sing the Hunger Games lullaby?" Her whisper is so soft, I almost miss it.

"When have I ever turned down that request?" I answer, my tone taking on a sisterly ring. I have to admit, I like it. I take a deep breath and start the song. It was always my favorite and Skylar's too.

_Deep in the meadow, _

_Under the willow,_

_A bed of grass, _

_A soft, green pillow,_

_Lay down your head, _

_And close your sleepy eyes,_

_And when again they open,_

_The sun will rise,_

_Here, it's safe, _

_Here, it's warm, _

_Here, the daisies guard you from every harm,_

_Here, your dreams are sweet,_

_And tomorrow brings them true,_

_Here is the place where I love you._

As I finish, I slip into a corner, not wanting to disturb my sister or the dream sand that I know will soon be here.

When the sand appears, I start over. Skylar's dreams are always interesting, and I love watching them. I hover over my kit sister, thinking of all the times I helped her when I was alive, and ultimately, the time that got me killed. She was, and is, the best sister I could hope for.

I'm so busy watching her dream that I don't notice the tiny fairy that takes one look at me and then buzzes off to get Tooth. I do, however, notice when she bursts through the window, racing to Skylar and glancing warily at the dream as if she expects it to turn into a Nightmare any second.

"I'm only going to say this once, so listen up." Tooth's voice has an edge of fury to it that was all too familiar in my past life. "You will not harm this little girl. You will not come near this little girl. If you do, you will regret it." Her words are blunt, and I open my mouth to protest, but my lips refuse to work.

She takes a threatening step closer and I instantly take off, flying away from the Tooth Fairy as fast as I possibly can.

The next Guardian I run into happens to be Jack. I'm going back to Skylar's because I promised I would stay, but I honestly couldn't. I fly up to her window and come face-to-face with Jack. He doesn't look like the fun-loving kid I know. He looks like, well, a Guardian who was willing to do anything to do his job.

"Tooth told you to stay away from Skylar. You've been warned by more than one of us now, and I promise, next time, I won't let you this close." Jack's voice is terrifying. Jack is terrifying. When did I become so scared of those whom I would gladly have called 'friend'? I take off, my guilt rising.

For lack of anything else to do, I connect my bracelet to hers and explain what's going on.

"The Guardians see me as a threat; they won't let me get close. I won't be able to come for awhile, okay? It isn't that I don't want to, I honestly can't." I explain, brokenheartedly. My first family in 570 years, and they see me as the enemy.

I fly to the Musicians' Mansion. For lack of anything else, we need the practice.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Ch. 3 Returns_**

After rehearsal, I explain everything to the music spirits, and they look furious before I even finish.

"What? That is totally not fair! They aren't even giving you the chance to explain!" Sarrah almost yelled. I quickly start to brush it off, but their glances stop me.

"You wouldn't have told us all this if it wasn't hurting you." Matt's quiet whisper stops me for a few seconds.

"Really, guys, I just needed to vent about it a little. I'm fine." They don't seem to believe me, but we go back to rehearsing.

Later that night, I drop by Skylar's house. There don't seem to be any Guardians in sight, but just as I land on the window, a furry paw grabs me and stuffs me in a sack.

One bumpy snow globe ride later, I clamber out to find myself in the Pole. Faced with 8 furious faces. And total cluelessness. I realize that I still hold a faint hope that they'll accept me. It's crazy, but I can't force it out. I zip up to the rafters, unsure of what they want until I notice who's missing.

"Where's Lunasong?" I ask my voice steadier than I figured it would be. Tooth flies up and glares at me.

"Why do you think you're here?" She snaps her tone deadly. "What have you done with her?" Tooth demands. I cower slightly, her voice bringing back memories of whips, glass, knives, and blood, so much blood. She doesn't back away until Jack flies up beside her.

The instant I see an opening, I take it. Bunny watches me from the ground, and Pitch seems to be concentrating on something. I hang on to the bare ceiling, my hands not even noticing any pain. I stay still, making them think I used the shadows to vanish.

"Told you she wouldn't admit she did it." Cinderrose's voice is triumphant.

"I still don't think she did." Riverlily's voice reaches my ears, making the wild spark of hope grow into a small flame.

"Well, you can believe what you want, but none of us will truly trust her ever again." North's sad tone stops my slightly growing hope.

"She'll never be a Guardian." Cinderrose's voice is definite. I feel the tiny flame of hope in my chest vanish, leaving a small empty spot. I suddenly hear a soft thud and Bunny's slight groan of pain. I cautiously glance down in time to see his eyes flicker up. They meet mine for half a second, and then I truly leave, hearing Cinderrose screaming curses after me as I go.

(Bunny's POV)

I couldn't help but feel like something was off about the way Cloudfire left so abruptly. She used to always challenge the other opinions. I listen to the others' accusations, sighing. Riverlily really took the girl's words to heart, and hasn't stopped trusting her old friend since. Cinderrose on the other hand, seems to think that she can be loyal to only one person.

When Cinderrose says Cloudfire will never be a Guardian, I feel something small seem to shatter in my chest. It gets more painful by the second. It takes me a moment, but I eventually realize that I'm getting a reading on someone who just lost the only bit of hope keeping them going.

It hurts really badly, like a couple hundred knives, and I'm only getting a muted version. I can't think of anyone in the immediate area who…oh no. I stagger forward, the pain getting worse with every step I take. I finally collapse, the pain nearly unbearable, and look straight up. All I see are a pair of dull, hopeless, yellow eyes that aren't even bright enough to be called gold.

Cloudfire meets my gaze with a dull, sad, sorry look on her face. She holds my glance for about a half a second before jumping upwards into the shadows of the roof and leaving, Cinderrose blaming her for making me collapse, screaming **a lot **of colorful things after the poor girl.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Ch. 4 Flames_**

(Cloudfire's POV)

_I'm sorry Bunny, I'm sorry. _My thoughts are on a loop, unable to go to anything else. I don't know what all I did exactly, but I quickly fly back to the Musicians' Mansion, not noticing Jack behind me.

When I land, they instantly let me in. I zip around, ignoring the mini instruments that we use to send messages. You can tell who it's from by the instrument, and you know it's for you if it stops in front of you. Mine is a microphone, gold with black highlights.

I just fly to my room, lost in thought.

Since the stupid shadow thing, I've been able to control shadows, Nightmares, and anything dark, to be basic. I've also gained a shape-shifting ability. I usually prefer to turn into a cat or a Night Fury. (I was a HTTYD geek, sue me!) I actually sleep as a Night Fury most of the time because then I don't have to worry about getting attacked. Night Furies have better hearing than Bunny for StarClan's sake! (Warriors geek too!)

I drift over to the window, jump out and shape shift in the same second. One minute, I'm falling, the next, I stretch my night black wings out and soar upwards. I can't help, but give a roar of pure joy. Flying is the BEST! I grin as only a dragon can, and just about that time, I notice smoke off in the distance.

I fly over worriedly, noticing that a lot of people are around, screaming about children. I fly down, landing in one of the houses. A little boy glances up from where he crouches, terrified, and screams. I gently nudge him with my nose, for lack of ability to hug him. I lightly nudge him towards my claws, and pick him up carefully. He grabs hold, shuddering from terror.

I quickly take him outside, and then sniff for more kits. I detect two others in houses down the block, and instantly fly over, slipping into windows that look far too small for me, and thanking StarClan that I'm immune to fire.

The last kit I find is a little girl who looks so much like Skylar that it hurts. I pick her up, and gently bring her outside. I quickly hold the young girl close to my chest, out of sight, and safe. I flinch as Jack and the other Guardians appear. They start blabbing over each other so much I barely understand them.

"What the **** did you do all that for?" Jack demanded.

"Where are the kids, we know there were some in there!" Tooth shrieked, her tone horrified.

Bunny, North, and Sandy all look ready to attack me. Pitch just watches. I watch Sandy specifically as he pulls his whips out of midair, and I clench the young kit as close to myself as I can without hurting her. I refuse to leave her until I know for sure that she's safe, and at the moment, I'm not so sure that's where I stand.

"What happened? Start a fire that you couldn't control?" Her tone is taunting, and I glare her, wondering if they can actually think that _I'm _behind this. Jack's known me for 315 freakin years! I'm about to take off when Riverlily speaks.

"Uh…Cloud? Where's your other leg?" I just curl the younger kit closer, looking back at Sandy, his whips bringing memories that I really don't want to watch right now. Riverlily follows my gaze, but doesn't understand.

She'd been my friend for three years before I was kidnapped and killed, but I never showed _anyone_ the scars I'd gotten. She looks about to speak again when a boy about 10 years old runs out of the bushes.

"Where's my sister? I know you got her out of the fire, where is she?" He demands, ignoring the Guardians. I hesitate, and he seems to understand.

"I won't hurt you," he murmurs softly as I try to force my scales to lie flat. "I just want to know where she is. Mom and Dad are really worried." I give him a quick dragon grin and carefully lower my other leg. His sister looks disoriented, but instantly bolts to her brother. She turns and grins at me.

"Thank you pwetty dwagon!" I gently give the little girl a quick nudge, and she squeals with excitement. Her brother just grins gratefully.

"Thank you." He says simply. They turn and walk back towards the burning houses, and I smile after them. The other Guardians are staring at me in shock. Riverlily looks smug.

"I told you she wouldn't hurt a kid!" She says, and her tone is as snug as her face. I glance at her in an annoyed way, and then use one of my other new abilities, thought-speak.

**_No duh, have you met me? _**Hearing my thoughts in their heads must have been pretty stunning, because every one of their jaws drop. I stare for a minute and burst into dragon laughter.

Riverlily is the first one to laugh with me, and the others follow. I lightly hop over and nudge Riverlily's shoulder, trying to convince the others that I won't hurt them. Suddenly they stop laughing and instantly look defensive. Cinderrose pulls Riverlily away from me with a hostile glare, and I try to figure out what I did wrong.

"Stay away from her. Now that Lunasong's gone, she's the one there for me the most." Cinderrose snaps and I sigh in annoyance. I sit down, thinking as they watch, still defensive.

**_Everyone is aware that the only way to trap her would be to knock her out and/or keep her totally away from her element. What's the opposite of air? _**They look totally confused and I gorge holes into the ground with my claws, sighing in annoyance. **_Try looking in a cave, you mouse brains!_** NOW they get it! Riverlily looks amused.

"You remind me of a friend I had when I was alive. She called everyone mouse-brain too." Her glance is sad. I tilt my head at her in confusion. The last time I saw her, she had no memories.

"Tooth let Lunasong and I look at our memories." She says, explaining. I nod. They turn to leave, but I call to Riverlily in private thought-speak.

**_ Yeah, you're thinking of Steph, right?_** She glances at me, confused, but nodding. I shape shift as I move, transforming to human. I quickly focus, ignoring Riverlily's shocked stare.

The others have already gone back the way they came. I pull fire to my right hand and shadows to my left, leaving my eyes hazel, and my hair brown, just like it used to be. I smirk as I meet her stare.

"Hey Leili." The only two words I need to say. She smiles and pulls me into a hug before I can complain. She quickly pulls back, and I smirk again, letting the shadows and light flow out of my hands and back up to my hair and eyes.

"I'm guessing you have more control over those things than everyone thinks, am I right?" Leili asks, her tone light, conversational. I nod; no one seems to think that I can control the shadows at all.

"Although, to be totally honest, it's more like Jack and the wind. We work together, but neither one controls the other. Oh, and a quick FYI to Sandy. He doesn't have to fight the Nightmares like they're going to kill him. He just needs to turn them back into dream sand." I add the last part because I'm sick of him pulling out the whips every few seconds. Riverlily nods with a steady grin.

"I never stopped trusting you, by the way. We all read your note, but no one really paid as much attention as I did." I think she's bragging a little bit.

"Thanks, and could you tell Bunny that I'm sorry about earlier? I know that couldn't have felt too great." I'm a little nervous when suddenly the other Guardians come back through the bushes. I flinch backwards, seeing Sandy's whips again. Cinderrose steps forward, her glare furious.

"I told you to leave her alone! Now get the heck out of here, you freak!" Her snarl startles me, but Riverlily jumps between me and them.

"Leave her alone!" She snaps, her tone sounding scarier than a hurricane. Cinderrose glances at her in shock.

"Great, what's she done to _you _now? Convinced you she's innocent? That's almost cute; she's still trying to make friends." I glance at her, my face expressionless. Riverlily, on the other hand, looks furious.

"Don't fight." My breathless whisper is nearly silent. Bunny seems to hear me, and glances at me as I watch them fight, reminded of my parents. I shape-shift, ignoring Sandy's threatening whips and roar as loud as I can. They all freeze, even Jack, and I'm stunned at that. I glare at them, Cinderrose especially.

**_WHAT PART OF DON'T FIGHT IS TOO UNCLEAR! _**I yell in thought-speak. They all winch, and Jack starts to speak, but I shove myself off the ground and head towards the Musicians' Mansion.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch. 5 Smoke

I land in my window and close it, ignoring the fact that I knew Jack could be following. I sent a microphone messenger to each person, telling them not to let the Guardians in, no matter what. I just really do not need this right now.

I bolt to rehearsal, suddenly glad that it's time for rock-and-roll rather than church stuff. I love all music, but I don't feel like listening to hymns right now.

The instant I walk in, the others, Sarrah, Cal, Leila, and Sequoia for this one, jump up. I grin as they pull out their instruments, Sarrah on guitar, Sequoia on bass, Leila on drums, and Cal as singer, like me. He's become almost my right-hand man. Sarrah will always be my BFF, but he's pretty cool. I hop up on stage.

"Alright guys, let's try Titanium. We were all doing great on that separately yesterday, now we just need to put it together." I call, my grin easier now that I'm not around people who'll yell at me the instant I say something.

I listen to the opening chords, instantly relaxing as I get lost in the music. I start as I hear the part I memorized, knowing where to come in.

"You shout it loud,

But I can't hear a word you say,

I'm talking loud, not saying much…"

I smile easily as I sing the familiar lyrics. They seem to fit my situation. The song seems to fly by, and what seems like seconds later, I finish. I turn as the song ends, finding everyone grinning.

"That was awesome, and I'm really sorry, but I need to go see if I can see Skylar. With any luck, the Guardians will be busy." Everyone nods and I fly out the window, transforming as soon as I'm out.

I fly to Skylar's house and open the window cautiously. Skylar sits straight up and grins when she sees me.

"CLOUDFIRE!" She squeals softly, launching herself over to give me a hug. I grin easily as she hugs me, her grin overjoyed. I don't notice the shadows moving, but Skylar does.

"Cloud, I think you might want to leave." Skylar mutters softly, and I send her a questioning glance. She nudges my shoulder and I turn as she points to the shadows. Pitch and the Guardians step out and I flinch, expecting them to start screaming. I carefully let Skylar down and she scrambles over in front of me, but to the side a little.

"Cloudfire, leave, now." Cinderrose's tone is dangerous, but for once, I don't move. "I said, leave, you freak!" She snarls, and I gently nudge Skylar over behind me.

"No." I answer calmly. "I'm not leaving. I have every right to be here." I answer with a snip. Cinderrose smirks at me.

"Really? What's that?" Her tone is laughing. I don't respond, but Skylar does.

"It's technically my house, and I say she's okay. Does that count?" She offers Cinderrose glares at her.

"No, not good enough. How about she shows just how strong she is and fight me?" Her tone is confident, but I know that it's bait.

"No, I won't fight you. I refuse." I answer clearly.

"Well, I'm sorry. I didn't figure you'd be such a coward to not want to fight. What? Afraid of a little pain?" Cinderrose is being a jerk, and I suddenly find that I can't stand it anymore.

"Okay, that's it. You can call me disloyal. You can call me a freak. You can stop me from talking to someone I've been a friend with since I was six. You can stop me from seeing my family, but NO ONE calls me a coward! You don't know the first freaking thing about me, so stop acting like you do!" I yell my voice breaking as I think of Skylar, what all we both went through when I was alive. Cinderrose looks shocked, but covers it with a pitying glance.

"Can't take the truth?" Her tone is sarcastic. I'm so done. I whirl around, shape-shifting as I go and slip through the shadows.


	7. Chapter 7

**_Ch. 6 Finding Air?_**

As I appear outside as a Night Fury, I see the others, minus Cinderrose, appear a little ways down.

I stretch my wings to take off, but Bunny motions for me to stay. I hesitate, noticing that none of them look ready to attack me. Even Sandy looks relaxed, no whips. Pitch steps forward, breaking the awkward silence.

"You had an idea of where to search for Lunasong, right?" I hesitantly nod , not trusting them. The last time I trusted anyone was, well, them, but that was an epic mistake. I silently vow to not get close to anyone, emotionally, ever again.

I take a hesitant step forward, and Riverlily carefully extends her hand, trying to show me that I can trust her, I guess. I walk over, lightly nudging her wrist expecting to be screamed at, but she just smiles. I give her a careful dragon grin in response, and then listen towards inside.

Riverlily notices my curiosity, and lightly explains that Bunny got tired of Cinderrose being a jerk, so he knocked her out with a boomerang. I snicker in amusement, that would have been something to see. I think for a moment, and then gesture for them to be quiet.

I carefully stretch my senses, looking underground mostly. I find Lunasong in a few seconds, and quickly nod for them to follow me. Riverlily does so without hesitation, and the others follow. I carefully lead them towards where I sensed Lunasong. Riverlily chats with Tooth along the way, and I carefully contact Bunny, worrying that he'll be mad.

**_You know I'm sorry about earlier at the Pole, right? _**I blurt out, still nervous. Bunny just nods.

"That wasn't your fault. One, none of us should've said what we did. Two, you've definitely proved you're better than Pitch was before." Pitch glares in annoyance, but I have a feeling that he's actually amused. I grin, and Jack asks Bunny a question, so I turn my attention to Sandy.

**_Those Nightmares each night won't attack you. I send them so you can turn them back into dreams. _** I don't bother with anything but getting to the point. Sandy looks stunned, and a little guilty. I turn back to the trail and stop when we're directly above Lunasong.

I think for a moment, and then realize that either it's going to take us the rest of forever to dig her out, or, I'm turning into something that'll actually going to help. I blast the section of the ground right above her and then flap skywards.

I transform from a Night Fury to a Whispering Death in a few seconds. I plow straight into the ground in another few, leaving a trail for the others to follow. My rotating teeth would probably fascinate Tooth to no end, but there's no way I'm slowing down to see what she thinks.

Within a few moments, I hit the small air pocket and stop instantly. There's really no way to back out, so I just transform back into a Night Fury. Thank StarClan a Night Fury is small. The others catch up in a few seconds, although I think they cheated and used Bunny's tunnels.

Now that I can see past my own mouth, I can see the Air Spirit lying in the corner. She's hurt, I can tell that in a second, I just can't tell exactly how badly. Bunny hops over and looks at Lunasong. I don't need a run-down on injuries to know that she's hurt bad. Her back is a bloody mess, but by some miracle, there's only blood on her back and left arm.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Ch. 7 Familiar Wounds_**

Bunny picks her up, being as gentle as possible. North pulls out a snow globe and transports us to the surface. As soon as I can see her injuries better, I transform back into a person. I think I recognize the wounds, but I say nothing to the other Guardians.

I walk over to Lunasong as soon as Bunny puts her down. I look over my shoulder for a second, but everyone else is too stunned to be of any help. I groan in annoyance, but quickly wave Riverlily over as I pull a few herbs out of my purse. I take out my dagger and gently cut the back out of Lunasong's T-shirt so I can see her wounds clearly.

Thankfully, I'd been a bookworm, so I know which herbs are for what, can be mixed with what, and don't work for what.

I crush the herbs quickly, gesturing for Riverlily to put some water in the bowl I was mixing them in. As soon as I have them mixed properly, I turn to Riverlily, as businesslike as possible.

"Okay, I need you to clean her wounds. Gently, and I stress that, pour water right here, above her injuries. She's laying on her side, so the ones on top will probably bleed over to the ones on bottom, but I need to put herbs on them. The mixture will be clear, so we can focus on exactly what her wounds look like later. Did you get all that?" She just nods, and I give her a quick nod back. "Alright, whenever you're ready."

Riverlily slowly drizzles water gently sideways over Lunasong's back. I take my own advice and ignore the wounds. In a few seconds, I can see the wounds clearly enough to put the salve on. It's mostly waterproof, but Riverlily stops spraying water until I finish with the top layer.

As we work our way down, I vaguely notice that the other Guardians look stunned and a little scared that I knew what to do. What am I supposed to say, 'oh yeah, I knew what to do because I spent years doing this sort of thing. The minor difference was it was a little bit harder then, because it's really hard to reach your own back? No big deal?' Yeah, no pity needed here, I'll keep that to myself, thank you!

Just as we finish, Lunasong wakes up. She starts to yank away, but I gently stop her.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, chill!" I whisper softly, trying to get her to relax. She relaxes as she sees who's here.

"Chill?" Her voice is raspy, and I can't blame her for that. Who knows how long she's been down there. Then, she clears her throat and finishes. "Isn't that Jack's job?" I glance back to where Jack is cracking up, and I can't help but grin. She returns the grin, and lays her head back down where she tried to jerk away from us and passes out. I glance down, and notice vaguely how much blood she lost.

"Who could've done this?" Tooth whispers in horror. I have a pretty good idea, but I try to tell myself that it's impossible. There's no way he could've gotten out of jail. I stare at Lunasong's injuries, trying to assess how to answer Tooth.

"Probably a man, about Bunny's size, holding a whip in each hand, right-handed, the whip in his right hand has glass shards embedded in it, and the one in his left is just a plain whip." I answer finally, listing everything as fast as I can.

"What makes you so sure of all that?" Jack asks, again with the suspicious tone. I sigh in annoyance and point out her wounds.

"The marks that go from her right shoulder down have really jagged edges, see? Plus there are more of them, meaning that whoever it was probably prefers their right hand. Also, the force behind each motion was really strong, suggesting male. Assuming she was standing, the only height that could get these specific angles is about six-foot." I answer, confident in what I'm saying. I've seen the wounds before; I have scars exactly like these. They're pretty distinct.

"I think she'll be okay, she just needs rest." I add carefully, finding myself desperately needing the others to say something. Anything?

"How did you know what to do?" Tooth asks. Okay, rephrase. I need them to say something, anything, besides that. I try my very best to laugh it off.

"Yeah, well, uh, y-you see, I, my mom was a nurse." I answer lamely. Tooth just crosses her arms, and Jack raises an eyebrow. Technically, I wasn't lying. She was a nurse, but then my dad killed her. I learned all that by myself, but that's a different subject.

I yelp as Bunny yanks me up by my foot. I grab my shirt, holding it up, not only for modesty, but also due to the minor fact that my stupid scars stand out **_way _**too much on my normal skin. The scar I especially hate is the small, circular one above my lung, where they shoved the screw in.

I'd been paler, probably the whole 'I had practically no blood in me when I died' thing probably didn't help, but since the shadow thing, I'd gotten my skin color from my human life back. I actually liked it better, because it was closer to 'normal' and not 'dead.' I yank myself out of my thoughts as Bunny starts talking.

"Alright, let me put things this way. We're not letting you go until you explain **exactly **how you knew all that. **Plus**, I am personally going to make sure that moron of an earth sprite apologizes to you. So, save yourself a lot of time and just come on!" He flips me right side up, and the blood finally runs back down to my feet. If looks could kill, Bunny would have just dropped over.

Jack glances over and laughs slightly. I turn to him with a glance. Seriously? He just shrugs, and I glare at nothing.


	9. Chapter 9

**_Ch. 8 Meeting Chaos_**

I stare at nothing as we fly back to the pole, lost in thought. It is not possible. There is no way my snake heart of a father escaped from prison. Then, something hits me. If he only escaped prison, there's no way that he could've hurt Lunasong. He wouldn't be able to see her! Yep, that's a whole new nightmare.

When we get back to the pole, we wash the blood off of Lunasong's arms. Jack is the first, however, to notice the wound we missed. I gently cover it with the paste of herbs before I look at it closely. The instant I do, I turn paler than Jack, and thank StarClan that no one's watching me.

I slip out of the room and carefully activate my bracelet to connect to Skylar's. I'd reprogrammed it so now only certain people could activate it. Basically, while Skylar and I were both alive, we came up with our own little language. It was a mix of English, Spanish, Gibberish, and probably a little Greek too.

Skylar picks up almost immediately, and she's instantly worried. I carefully make sure no one is within hearing range.

"Cloudfire, what's wrong? You never call unless you thin it's really important." She sounds terrified.

"Hey, calm down, Sky, it's okay. I just want to give you a quick warning. Watch your back, okay? We just found Lunasong and her back is whipped to hamburger. Along with that, remember what Snakeheart did to my wrist? Yeah, identical mark. I don't want to say it, but I think I know who we're dealing with." My voice sounds calm, but if Pitch were still evil, he could've easily gained enough power to take over the world with my fear alone. Skylar is silent for a second, but then she says the one thing I don't want to hear.

"You need to tell the Guardians. They'll believe you, I'm sure." Her tone is getting more and more excited.

"Yeah, and then they'll ask how I know him. That is a conversation I'd rather not have, thank you!" My tone takes on a sarcastic ring at the end, and Skylar clams up. "Look, Sky, I know it's a good idea, it's just that I think the Guardians might finally trust me again. The last thing I need is, well, THIS."

We fall into silence as I finish. I suddenly hear something from down the hall and turn to it silently.

"Hey, Sky? I'll talk to you later; I think we have an uninvited guest." My tone is quiet and wary.

"Okay, Cloud. TTYL." She disconnects, and I quietly slip off after the thing.

Once it steps into the light, I have no doubt. It's my father. The exact same one who gave me too many scars to count ,and basically made me terrified of whips in general. How in StarClan's name do I explain that to Sandy?

He glides to the hospital ward of the workshop and knocks on Lunasong's door. I almost snort in amusement, but instead, I slip through the shadows to the inside of the room. I lightly tap North on the shoulder and gesture to the door. He gets the others and they warily stand. I move off to the side and easily use my shadows to open the door. The man slips inside and eyes us with an amused glance.

"You seriously think you can beat me? I'm Chaos himself!" He says finally, not really bothering to ask anything else. North glares, but it's Riverlily who speaks.

"Well, I can't speak for the others, but I say you need to leave." Her snarl is deadly, and I'm impressed. She actually sounds **dangerous**, but Chaos doesn't look impressed.

"I believe you have something of mine. I'd appreciate it if you'd return her." He gestures to Lunasong as he speaks, and I have to stop myself from attacking him. Tooth steps forward.

"You want her; you're going through us first." She responds boldly. Everyone crowds around Lunasong, and I slip over, joining them. Chaos notices me with a sneer.

"Who's the little weakling? One of your little bratty kids that you 'protect'?" His tone is too much for Riverlily.

"Actually, we do a fair job of protecting kids, and Cloudfire is our friend!" Her tone holds a challenge, and I see the threat in Chaos's motions before they do. He unrolls his whips behind his back, and I tense. He smirks as she steps forward.

"You seriously want this fight?" Riverlily doesn't answer. He lifts the whips above his head. "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you."

As the whip crashes down, I lunge. I zip between the two of them, dodging the whips except for the one that wraps around my wrist. I easily grab it and yank, hard enough to throw him off balance. He pitches forward, and I quickly unloop the whip from around my wrist, not even noticing that it's the one with glass shards, so my hand and wrist are bleeding like crazy. I send a blast of fire and shadows out of my palms and force Chaos to stand still. Tooth stares at me in shock.

"What in the world did you just do?" Tooth whispers, just loud enough for me to hear. I make sure that Chaos won't be moving for awhile and step back. I don't really want to answer that question, so I just stare at the ground. Jack stares in shock, but Riverlily looks like she's working something out in her head. I'm so focused on the ground that I don't notice how strongly Chaos is fighting until the bonds snap.

He instantly aims for Tooth and I maneuver around her just as he sends red shadow-like sand at her. The second it touches me, it takes control, and I basically lose consciousness.


	10. Chapter 10

**_Ch. 9 Really, Really Not Good_**

(Smokeheart's {Evil, Sand-Controlled Cloudfire} POV)

The instant I take over the weaker form's mind, she falls silent. There's no way in heck I'm letting my guard down for a second because I've seen, through my master, her father, exactly how determined she can be. I carefully manipulate the red shadows around me, forcing her and her things to obey me. The bracelets are first. I force the red shadows around them and into their power cores. Nope, no way that's working for her.

The appearance changed automatically when I took over, thank the Dark Forest. The pretty golden eyes were replaced with my own dull red-orange. The hair, I leave, the shadows give it a nice touch.

Chaos turns. He smiles at me, though the others could call it a sneer and gestures for me to lead. I turn and walk steadily into the shadows, zapping myself to his underground lair.

Over the next few days, Chaos and I plan, well, argue over what to do about the pesky Guardians. The elementals won't go down without a fight, but if one of us can make them lose concentration, they would make good sidekicks. The four originals are totally hopeless. There's no way any amount of sand can control them. Pitch and Jack, however, have promise. They're so chaotic on their own, it should be easy.

"We need a way to get them out of hiding. Plus, we need backup." I insist. "It would be pointless to even try without help." Chaos disagrees.

"If we get them to come out, there's a greater chance that they'll be armed and ready to face us. If anything, we need to attack where it'll hurt them the most." He smirks. "And do you know what that is?" He asks. La-di-dah, pop quiz.

His latest rule is that if I get the answer wrong, he uses any type of weapon he wants. These few times are the only times I wish I had anything from the weakling. She was at least immune/ used to pain to the extent that she could have the same wounds as the air kit and still get up and fight. I consider for a few moments, and then answer.

"The children. They care too much, and they depend on them for belief." I answer, flinching slightly against my thoughts. He grins.

"Correct, however, you look scared, and that just won't do." He pulls out his knife as he speaks. "Let's go over this again, shall we?"

The next few moments are nothing but red and pain. I scream which only makes him dig the knife into my leg further. I try to yank away, but that just spreads the pain. When he finally stops, the knife is sticking out of my leg just below the knee. I use The Weak One's knowledge of healing and put the needed herbs on my leg.

The next day, we attack the children. I set things on fire and create enough chaos that it goes beyond funny. The Guardians appear just as I aim for a house. A rather familiar house, but until Chaos grabs an 11-yeaar-old out of it and holds a knife to her throat, I can't find the right memories. Of Course! Skylar, The Weak One's sister.

"Leave now, Guardians, and she doesn't get hurt." Chaos sneers. The Guardians all freeze and I laugh. I can feel the annoying weakling's thoughts resurfacing, and I realize exactly how strong the bond between the two of them is when he drops Skylar off the side of his cloud. I hadn't been paying any attention to them, so I have no clue what just happened, but I know that I can't let that little girl hit the ground. Luckily, Tooth beats me to it.

As soon as Skylar is safe, Tooth flies over.

"Cloudfire, I know you're still in there. Snap out of it, please. Skylar needs you, we all need you." Tooth's begging tone is hilarious to me, but I feel Cloudfire on the edge of my consciousness again. Why won't that annoying little rat just shrivel up and die?!

(Cloudfire's POV)

All I could see for awhile was blackness. I don't remember anything much of that, but I remember seeing a flash of color. Skylar! I recognize her, but I can barely stay awake. I stay conscious just long enough to see that she's safe, and then I basically drift into a state like the controllers from Animorphs. I can see. I can hear. I can feel it, muted, but I can feel it. But, I'll be darned if I can do anything about it.

I mostly tune out their plans. I focus and read over Smokeheart's memories of the past few days. No one was hurt, but I think its luck rather than she truly cares. I skim over the parts about Skylar other than her explaining to Chaos why I'm so attached to her. He looks triumphant.

"Well, then that's how we attack. Cloudfire will disappear forever if we can crush her entirely." Smokeheart smirks.

"Please do. The annoying rat won't shut up." Her tone is complaining.

That night, Chaos insists that Smokeheart sleep. She'll need her energy, as he puts it. I, however, stay wide awake. The instant Smokeheart drifts off, I focus on control. I keep her in my head, which will probably come back to haunt me later, but I need to look the same, plus she knows things that I don't. As much as I hate to admit it, I need her.

The next morning, I keep her, basically unconscious. She's in a coma-like state, and I know I can get rid of her quickly if the need should arise. Chaos is getting bolder. His plan for the day is to attack the Warren. It's almost Easter, and I'm positive that the Guardians, Bunny in particular, will be making sure that the holiday goes smoothly.

We fly to the Musicians' Mansion first, and Chaos makes me control all of the musicians. I use a single song, and I know that it'll get annoying. Yep, the Jitterbug. Smokeheart starts to wake up, as we all head for the Warren.


	11. Chapter 11

**_Ch. 10 Taking Chances_**

I'm really close to freaking out, but as it turns out, we don't even get into the Warren. The Guardians meet us outside. Chaos instantly starts fighting, and I do too, but I don't aim to kill. Chaos said to only bring in the musicians as a last resort and I intend to keep them as far out of this as possible.

I lunge and duck around swords, staffs, whips, spears, boomerangs, and tornados, firing wildly away from everyone. I doubt that any of them notice, but I know that they're safe. As I look around, I realize that Skylar, Jack and Jamie are trying to hold off Chaos while everyone else battles Chaos Creatures.

I bolt over and tie up Jamie and Skylar. They might hate me for it, but I know they're out of the fighting. Jack swings his staff wildly, but a Chaos Creature whisks it away. I watch as it throws it into the forest, and Chaos suddenly grabs Jack, holding a knife to his throat.

"Freeze! Unless you want your precious Frost brat to have a slit throat!" He yells, making the Chaos Creatures form a hallway-like structure so that the Guardians have to watch, but can't do anything. Then, he turns to me. As he does, Smokeheart fights violently to be free, and I fight her even as I listen to him.

"You will be the one to kill the Frost brat. Use your bow. I've charmed your arrow so it's deadly to anyone it touches including ME, so DON'T MISS!" I smirk.

"I don't miss. EVER." I turn and walk down the hall, still fighting Smokeheart. She gains some control, and I fight her back. As I stop, she controls me for just a second, and the next thing I know, I'm holding my bow up. I aim and release my arrow.

And Jack falls, covered in blood.


End file.
